Rail joint



o. BALCAR mm. JoINi i Filed July 23. 19558 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 0770 SAL CAR June 11, 1940. o. BALcAR am. Jouw Filed Julyas, 193s 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. OTTO BALCAR BY ff ai@ ATTORNEY.

Patented June 11 1.940

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE i l2,204,395 Y v 'i RAIL JOINT Otto Balear,C'edar Rapids, Iowa Application July 23, 193s, serial No. 220,907

n 2 Claims.

for expansion, and the difficulty with most of the devices hithertoproposed, in which angularly cut rail ends are employed, is that therail ends would override one another under extreme expansion. The railends would slide past eachother and shear the holding means employed tohold the ends of the'rails in alignment.

In accordance with my invention, the rail ends,

when the rails are expanded, maintain their alignment and yet are tiedtogether in such manner that the entire joint is one solid unit and theweight of the train is transferred from one rail end to the otherwithout jarring or bumping.

^ It is, therefore, a general object of my invention to provide, in arail joint, means for preventing overriding of the ends of the rails.

It is another object of my invention to provide means for locking therail ends together in such a manner that they form one solid unit.

A further object of my invention is to provide a joint plate adapted tomake possible the compensation for wear at base and top surfaces with-lout the necessity of removing the joint plates from the rail.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for transferring theload from one rail end to the other without permitting the wheel to dropor pound.

Another object of my invention is to increase the permissible travel ofthe rail ends in expanding4 and contraction without increasing the gap.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a rail joint whichmay utilize joint bars of usual construction with the addition of partsconstructed according to my invention whereby a change may be made, fromthe usual type of construction, to a device constructed according to myinvention, Without discarding the old equipment. Y

A still further object of my invention is to provide a device such thatrail joints may be made that such changes may be made therein as fallwithin the scope of the appended claims, without departing from thespirit of the invention. 1

In said drawings:

` Figure 1 is a View in perspective of a rail joint constructedaccording to one embodiment of my invention.

` Figure 2 is a view in perspective of the rail ends, prepared accordingto my invention, as they appear before being joined together.

Figure 3 is a view in transverse section showing a rail joint,constructed according to my invention, at it appears when assembled.

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of the base plate of the device shownin the Figures 1 and 3.

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of a joint bar constructed accordingto one embodiment of my invention.

. Figure 6 is a view in perspective of an auxiliary bearing plateconstructed according to one embodiment of my invention, and l' Figure 7is a fragmentary view in section show-V ing ameans of engaging the railends without v running the bolt through the joint bars.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2;in practicing my invention I preferably cut the rail ends of a bias orangle, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. I have found that an angle of45 degrees is about right the rail is increased Without using any widergapv between the rail ends. Furthermore, the abutting area of the railends is increased. The rail ends are indicated at l0 and Il.

I may also serrate or `groove the rail ends, as indicated in Figures land 2, so as to prevent the rail fro-m slipping sidewise, one over theother, or overriding one ano-ther, as it may be termed. Theseserrations, indicated at I2, may

be vertical as shown, or may be horizontal or l curved, but the bestresults are secured with the vertical serrations. The serrations are soarranged that when the rail ends are abutted one againstthe other, as inhotweather, `the projections of the serrations of one rail end projectinto theV recesses of the other` serrations of the other rail end. Y l

at both ends thereof, so that, even if the bearing In connecting therail ends, joint bars I3 and I4 are utilized in much the same manner asin the usual construction, the only difference being that a fifth holethrough the bars is provided at the center thereof, as indicated at I6.The bars ordinarily used may be converted by drilling an additional holeat the midpoint of the bar, or the usual bar may be employed and a plugor spool placed in the opening I6 between the rail ends as shown inFigure '7.

'I'hese joint bars, in accordance with the usual practice, have bulbousupper edges I 3a and Ilia which bear against the under side of the ballof the rail and have anged lower edges indicated at I3b and Mb whichbear against the base of the rail.

In accordance with one embodiment of my invention, however, I may curvethe web of the joint bar as indicated so that when wear of the angesoccurs7 the web of the bar may be heated and the bolts drawn up tospread the bar to compensate for wear.

The ends of the rails are pierced by holes I5 and these holes passdirectly through the web of the rails and are centrally located in theends of the rails in the center of the abutting walls of the webs. Boltsor rivets passed through these holes will assist in preventing the railends from overriding one another.

My invention `conten'iplates forming a stiff rail joint which is asstiff or has even greater stiffness than the rail itself, and to thisend I provide an auxiliary bearing plate or side plate I'I formed alongthe central, longitudinal, inner "l, face thereof, to bear against theoutside face of the outside joint bar I3. The upper edge Ila preferablyextends upwardly beside the outer face of the ball of the rail so thatthe upper edge thereof is substantially parallel with the top surface ofthe rail. This edge is thus so positioned that the outeredge of thewheel IB will run on this auxiliary bearing plate in crossing over fromone rail end to the other.

I preferably bevel the outer upper edge of this auxiliary bearing plate,as indicated at IIb,

plate should accidentally be placed on the inside of the'rail, it willnot derail a train. The upper edge of the side plate Il is preferablyslightly beveled downwardly and outwardly, as indicated at Hc, as themain portion of the tread of the wheel I8 may become worn leaving aslight rim at the portion 18a. The lower edge I'Id of the side plate I'Iis preferably beveled to be received in the flange Ila of the base plateIB. It is also provided with a groove,A indicated at Ile, for receivingthe iianges of the joint bar I3 and the base of the rail II The inneredge of the base plate I9 is provided with an upwardly and inwardlyextending ange ISI) adapted to extend up and over the edge of the baseof the rail and the lower flange of the inner joint bar I4.

The clearances of the various parts of the device are so arranged andchosen that when the base I9 is laid and the rail ends joined by meansof the joint bars, the auxiliary bearing plate may be driven parallel tothe rail between the outer edges of the fiange or base of the rail andthe flange IM of the base plate I9 to wedge the entire assembly into onesolid joint. When the auxiliary bearing plate has been driven to itsproper position, it is engaged in this position by driving a spike 2|home through the opening 22 in the base plate and through a notch 23 ofthe auxiliary bearing plate. The bolts 24 are passed through theopenings 25 and 21 of the auxiliary plate and through the oval openings28 of the joint bars and openings 29 and I5 of the rails. The nuts 3iare threaded into place to draw up the assembly of the joint bars andauxiliary plate to wedge these members into substantially one unitarymember.

The spike opening 3G is slightly offset with respect to the notch 32 andwith regard to the parts of the rail joint. The spike may be placed inthis opening 36 and in the notch 32 to hold the auxiliary plate intightened position. The flange I9a, of the base plate I9, is taperedfrom point S'a to 36a, and the lower edge of the auxiliary plate Il iscorrespondingly tapered from point 3ft to 3 so that, as the auxiliarybearing plate is driven from leftr to right, the joint is tightened up.In tightening the joint after considerable use, the plate Il is drivenslightly further to the right so that the opening 30 and the notch 32line up and the auxiliary bearing plate is then locked in place by meansof a spike through the opening 3l) and notch 32.

My provision for a joint bar having a slight vertical curve throughoutits length as illustrated at I3c of Figure 5 makes it possible tocompensate for wear along the upper and lower edges without thenecessity of taking the joint apart.

This is accomplished by heating the joint bar with a torch throughoutits length and along the curved portion. This heating makes it possibleto spread the bar vertically by* drawing up the nuts on the joint bolts.

In converting ordinary equipment over to devices constructed accordingto my invention. I may utilize spool-like members lll through theabutting ends of the webs, instead of the bolts 24 through the centeropening and it will be unnecessary to provide the fifth hole I6 in thejoint bars or side bars I3 and I4.

Many advantages flow from the use of devices constructed according to myinvention. It substantially eliminates jarring of the rail ends and thedepression at the rail joints resulting therev from, thus making amaterial reduction in the cost of maintaining a roadbed to an evensubstantial surface, largely eliminating the cost of maintaining jointsin safe, serviceable condition, both as to labor and replacementcharges. These devices greatly reduce damage to the rolling stock andbridge structures resulting from excessive vibration and shock, and makepossible increase in speed of trains without diminishing the factor ofsafety. They materially extend the useful life of the rails. Some of thesecondary advantages are that they make possible the use of rails ofgreater length which lengths are now restricted by practical limits ofspace allowed between rail ends for heat expansion, and thus reduce thenumber of joint fastenings in the track. The expansion can safely betaken care of by the gap in the diagonal rail joints supplemented by theauxiliary bearing surface of the side plate, and placing the expansionspace at a 45 degree angle with the rail increases the free space forlongitudinal travel of the rail end by nearly 50%. It eliminates the useof short rails at Curves and at bridge abutments, now required tomaintain an-even break or stagger of joints in curves, or where it isnecessary to avoid locating a joint too close to an abutment.

Although I have described a specific embodiment of my invention, it isapparent that modications thereof may be made by those skilled in theart. Such modifications maybe ,madek without departing from thespiritand scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: 1. A rail joint including av base plate havingtwo shoulders, joint bars having anges extending to the edge of therailbase on eachside of the abutting ends of the rails, and an auxiliaryplate extending from the top` surface of the head of the rail fittingagainst a joint bark on one rside of the rail, the base plate having ashoulder at one side thereof having a lip to fitover the bottom of onejoint bar` and having another' longitudinal undercut shoulder positionedlaterally of the rails and joint bar with two openings therein, theauxiliary plate being ared at the bottom to form a wedge t betweensaidlundercutshoulder of the base plate andthe bottom vertical edge attwo points, one of said .notches being offset in relation to acorresponding, opening in the un dercut shoulder of the base plate. I 1

2. In a rail joint, a joint bar having a flange extending to the edge ofthe rail base, :in auxiliary plate at the side of the rail and extendingfrom the top surface of the headof the rail to a horizontal surface ontheange of the joint bar, a at base plate for supporting the auxiliaryplate and rails, said base plate having a longitudinal undercut shoulderpositioned laterally of the rails and joint bar, the lower edge of theauxtween said undercut shoulder of the base plate and the bottomvertical edge of the joint bar,

and means for subsequently adjusting said auxiliary plate to tighten theassembly.

OTI'O BALCAR.

